Leilon
Southerners usually learn the name of this town from maps, and pronounce it LEE-lon or LAY-lun. Northerners have always called it LIE-lon. This is one way to identity a southerner in the northern wilderlands. This mining town of 3,000 folk is a firm ally of Waterdeep. Its ruler, Lord Pelindar Filmarya, keeps it within the Lords' Alliance, and communicates regularly with Piergeiron of Waterdeep. Leilon consists of stout stone cottages with slate or thatch roofs, the latter being covered with a hardened slurry of mud. The houses cluster together within a crescent-shaped earthen rampart on the landward side of the settlement. The rampart has a ditch on the outside and a wooden palisade on top. The town is guarded by the Lances of Leilon. This is a force of 200 mounted lancers skilled at firing crossbows from horseback. They are clad in chain mail, with shields strapped to their chests and backs. The Lances wield axes, daggers, swords, light crossbows, and of course, lances. These fighters are always on patrol, seeking to minimize the raids by orcs, bugbears, trolls, and brigands. The hard-working miners of Leilon concentrate on digging rich lodes of copper, nickel, and silver from deep mines in the mountains east of the town, though a few older shafts even descend from within the town itself. The water near Leilon is shallow, with tidal mudflats extending a long way out from shore. Small bands of Leilonnar sometimes fish these with hurled nets. The mudflats make ship trade difficult. To overcome this, a dozen old, massive, battered barges have been magically protected against fire and rot. They're poled out to meet ships, where rickety cranes attached to the high rear decks of the barges unload the cargoes. This can be done only in spring or summer, when the wind is low and the weather fair. This perilous practice is being supplanted by large, well-armed caravans coming into town from Waterdeep loaded with food and finewares. The caravans sell enough to make room to buy some of Leilon's precious metal ores. Leilon is a growing community. Lord Filmarya has established a shrine to Tyr in town. It stands beside older shrines to Lathander and Tymora. The Cult of the Dragon and the Zhentarim are both reputed to be active in Leilon, and there are also dark tales of local cults who worship undead mages or spirits of the mine deeps. Places of Interest in Leilon The Knight's Goblet The Goblet caters to travelers' trade. It is clean, boring, and overpriced. The proprietor likes to roast whole boars in the taproom's hearth and serves hearty, large, nutty-flavored loaves of bread with large slabs of the meat. The Orc's Tusks The Tusks is favored by locals. It is crowded, cheaper than the Goblet, and friendly. Its taproom is dominated by an orc's skull with large tusks upon which patrons are wont to hang amusing or embarrassing items. The Sword of Leilon This old, cozy establishment is a warren of small rooms inside. Guests often get lost and blunder into each others rooms. (Sometimes they get lost intentionally.) It is built on the site of an earlier inn where Leilon's defenders used to gather because of the inn's size. That inn burned down due to "misadventure", but the name of this inn hearkens to those days of local glory. Manyclaws Alley This is the only dangerous spot in town. It's reputed to be haunted by the ghosts of some trolls. Recently, a group of adventurers have revealed that this is not the case; truthfully, it was the entrance to a long tunnel, which lead to a temple of Loviatar hidden in the mountains. High Tower of Thalivar This abandoned mage tower rises in the center of town. It's guarded by its own ward. Details on the ward's powers and the existence of tokens remain unknown. It's known to have guardian monsters, and they've so far proven deadly to all adventurers seeking to plunder the magic reputed to be there. The Mines of Leilon Leilon's miners concentrate on digging rich lodes of copper, nickel, and silver from the mines east The mountains are honeycombed with shafts and tunnels, including several older shafts opening into town itself, and some that go very deep. The mines are operated under contract from Lord Pelindar by the Golden Suns Trading Company. The mines are usually sparsely guarded save when the ore is hauled away, but recent problems with miners disappearing suddenly may cause that to change. There is a smelting facility in a valley about half a day from Leilon, which is the home of most of the guards. It is overseen by Daggen Stonehammer, a youngish dwarf of great skill. Important Folk of Leilon Lord Pelindar Filmarya Lord Pelindar is a former adventurer in his early 50's who settled in Leilon when the years began to mount upon him. First simply captain of the Lances of Leilon, he replaced the old lord five years ago, when it was revealed that the lord had discouraged caravans from coming along the High Road from Waterdeep to maintain his control of the towns trade by monopolizing the barge-loading procedure. Since then, caravans have come more frequently, and Leilon's size had almost doubled with new arrivals. It is no secret that Lord Pelindar is a Paladin of Tyr, born in Silverymoon. His rule has been scrupulously honest, and Tyr's aspect as a law-giver has certainly enhanced the local courts. While Lord Pelindar does have a very deep devotion to Good, many more people in town have seen his aspect as an upholder of Law, and are quite happy with the balance he strikes. Most people initially meet, not with the Lord himself, but with his valet, a man named Varangen. A former squire, Varangen lost his left arm at the elbow in a battle with Northmen raiders. Unable to stand in battle, he now serves to screen visitors from bothering the Lord with trivial matters, and as his secretary when one is needed. Daggen Stoneshield Daggen is actually a half-dwarf, commonly (and mistakenly) called a mul. A former adventurer, Daggen retired upon the death of his cousin to take over the family forge in Red Larch and take care of his cousin's pregnant widow, Sannl. Daggen achieved local fame, and was hired seven years ago by the Golden Suns Company to oversee their operations in Leilon. A hard worker and very skilled, Daggen has a hands-on style of management; he usually shows people how to do the work, and co-ordinates work according to the abilities of those who are there right now. While he can do paperwork, and will often look over it for mistakes, Sannl handles most of the administrative details, watching over Traubon and Hlin, Daggen's nephew and daughter. Gunnar of Tyr Gunnar is a Northman and priest of Tyr brought in by Pelindar to oversee the new shrine to Tyr. In the rare instances of bandit or humanoid attack, he also leads the infantry forces of the town. By agreement with the temples of Lathander and Tymora in Waterdeep, Gunnar watches over the shrines and makes sure they are maintained. Rumors abound about why Gunnar is not amongst the Northmen, but the most common are a falling out with the powers that be in Luskan, being the bastard son of a jarl with a jealous wife, and lastly (and most popularly) is that he's actually Pelindar's son, come to work with his father and prepared to inherit the lands around. There is a certain degree of similarity between the two men, and the ages are appropriate, but the fact that they act less like father and son and more like friends and colleagues makes this one more difficult to believe. Goroth Often addressed as "Master Goroth" and referred to as "that crazy bastard", Goroth is a true sign of what can go wrong with a life of magic. Little is known about Goroth's past, but he has been in Leilon as long as anyone can remember, training generations of apprentices, as well as selling his services as an alchemist and scribe on an irregular basis. No one is sure of his race, but speculations from some long-forgotten sub-race of elf to the son of a demon and an angel have been offered up in the past. Master Goroth's familiar is a somewhat nondescript rat that he has named "Mumsy". Mumsy roams at will through the town, and wears a ring about his neck that his master has packed with enchantments to protect him. The ring was forged at the request of Pelindar, after Master Goroth destroyed the old Sword of Leilon Inn when Mumsy was severely injured by a cook there. Often, when a small item goes missing, Mumsy is blamed, leading to the phrase "tribute to Mumsy" being a common saying amongst the people of Leilon for things that are lost. Category:Small towns Category:Settlements in Northwest Faerûn